The Personal Bodyguard of the School Belle

Lin Yi smiled slightly and nodded, naturally shaking hands with Chu Pengzhan. Lin Yi was very adept at handling such normal social courtesies: "Mr. Chu, nice to meet you!"

Chu Pengzhan's warmth left Lin Yi feeling somewhat flattered—it was the first time he had encountered such an enthusiastic employer. Although Lin Yi was hired to carry out a specific task, being treated so warmly by the chairman of a world-renowned listed company made him curious. It felt more like a meeting between equals.

"Mr. Lin! I know it might be difficult for you to stoop to do these things..." Chu Pengzhan hesitated before continuing.

As Chu Pengzhan spoke increasingly off-topic, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yi started to feel embarrassed and quickly interjected: "Not at all... At home, I earn only a few hundred yuan a month weaving straw shoes. My old man said this task would provide enough for me to live on for the rest of my life..."

Lin Yi thought to himself how considerate this employer was—so polite when hiring him, unlike others who, after paying him, start criticizing every little thing.

"What? Weaving straw shoes?" Chu Pengzhan paused, looking closely at Lin Yi. He hadn't mistaken the person, but what was this guy talking about? Could Lin Lao really be making him weave straw shoes to earn those few hundred yuan? Chu Pengzhan was speechless. From what he'd heard from his own grandfather, Lin Yi's past exploits included rescuing hostages in Africa for millions of dollars in compensation, yet here he claimed to make a living weaving straw shoes?

"Yes, each pair sells for four yuan. If I weave three or five pairs a day, that's several hundred yuan a month." Lin Yi nodded, though deep down, he also felt something wasn't quite right. His "old man" didn't seem like someone who would struggle financially.

Chu Pengzhan decided not to pry into Lin Yi's personal affairs and could only shake his head helplessly: "Starting tomorrow, your monthly salary will be thirty thousand yuan. This includes your tuition fees and daily expenses. Of course, any money spent on my daughter can be reimbursed through Li Fu."

"Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man say just a few thousand?" Lin Yi was startled. Was this really such a high-paying job? He remembered the look of pain on the old man's face when he handed over the forty-nine thousand yuan: "Wait, Mr. Chu, what did you just say? School? Tuition? And money spent on your daughter? What does all this mean? I'm a bit confused..."

Lin Yi was puzzled. Wasn't he supposed to be here to carry out a mission?

"Oh? Didn't Lin Lao tell you beforehand? Please come this way. Let's discuss the details upstairs." Chu Pengzhan smiled faintly, gesturing politely as they walked shoulder to shoulder toward the elevator.

Now that Chu Pengzhan was officially his employer, and the salary was indeed generous, although Lin Yi was still bewildered by the situation, over the years he had encountered many strange tasks.

Thus, while walking alongside Chu Pengzhan, Lin Yi deliberately slowed his pace, positioning himself behind Chu Pengzhan. However, Chu Pengzhan deliberately kept his steps synchronized with Lin Yi's.

Lin Yi noticed this and felt a bit surprised. Why did Chu Pengzhan seem overly friendly toward him? Though curious, Lin Yi didn't ask outright. After all, it was their first meeting, and they weren't particularly familiar with each other. Some questions were better left unspoken until they knew each other better.

Chu Pengzhan's office was located on the top floor of the Pengzhan Tower, covering two hundred square meters. One entire wall consisted of large floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room exceptionally bright.

After Uncle Fu ushered Chu Pengzhan and Lin Yi into the office, he stepped out and instructed the secretary, Miss Xiao, outside to bring tea.

"Mr. Lin, what would you like to drink?" Miss Xiao already knew Lin Yi's surname from Uncle Fu.

"Just plain water." Lin Yi drank mostly plain water at home, and it was no different now.

Miss Xiao paused briefly but smiled politely: "Alright, please wait a moment." As for what Chairman Chu drank, she already knew without asking—it was always the same.

"Mr. Lin, starting tomorrow, Uncle Fu will arrange for you to enroll in Songshan No. 1 High School, Class 5 of Grade 3. You'll become a high school student, attending the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao. You'll go to school and return home with her, take care of her daily life, and tutor her with her studies after school… In short, you'll simply be her companion… Over the years, I've been too busy with business and neglected her care, which I deeply regret. I want to find someone she can get along with, someone who can give her more attention… That's the real reason why I hired you. You're about the same age, both young people, so you should have common topics, right?" Chu Pengzhan smiled faintly as he explained.

Lin Yi was momentarily stunned. What kind of person was this? Giving her care? Common topics? Was this really the so-called lifelong task? The more he listened, the more it sounded like matchmaking. Was this girl perhaps suffering from some physical ailment, unable to marry, and he was just filling in?

"Mr. Lin, is something wrong?" Chu Pengzhan noticed Lin Yi's astonished expression, seemingly guessing what he was thinking: "I originally thought Lin Lao had already informed you of the task, but apparently, that isn't the case?"

"Mr. Chu, you can just call me Lin Yi. 'Mr. Lin' feels awkward," Lin Yi chuckled bitterly: "To be honest, I had no idea what I was coming here for. The old man only mentioned it was an important task that, if done well, would last me a lifetime…"

"A lifetime?" Chu Pengzhan paused briefly upon hearing Lin Yi's words, then burst out laughing: "Hahaha, Lin Lao didn't deceive you. If you do well, the reward will indeed last you a lifetime!"

"But…" Lin Yi still didn't understand exactly what Chu Pengzhan wanted him to do: "What exactly is my task?"

"I already told you earlier, didn't I? You'll accompany my daughter to school and back, study with her, and ensure her safety. Don't let anyone bully her," Chu Pengzhan explained.

"Study companion? Nanny?" These were the only terms Lin Yi could think of to describe the role.

"Uh… You can interpret it that way. In fact, that's exactly what it is," Chu Pengzhan nodded, handing Lin Yi a set of documents without waiting for further comments: "This is the information about Songshan No. 1 High School. You can review it first."

Lin Yi sighed helplessly, accepting the documents. Was this really the big task the old man had talked about? Damn, had he been tricked again?

It was just like the last time in South America when the old man said he was going to rescue someone... But in reality, it wasn't one person; it was a whole group!

Regardless, there was a substantial reward, and the danger level of this task seemed relatively low. It was just a bit like being a lackey for some rich family's daughter, but that was fine. He could treat it as a break.

Songshan No. 1 High School, despite its name, was actually a private middle school that hadn't changed its name after being acquired. Chu Pengzhan's Pengzhan Group was one of the school's three major shareholders.

No wonder, even without having attended elementary school, Lin Yi could easily be arranged to attend this high school. Although Lin Yi hadn't gone to school, he understood from online sources how difficult it was for children with rural household registration to attend school in the city.

"Alright, I'll do my best," Lin Yi nodded after briefly reviewing the materials.

"Of course, Chu Mengyao may have a bit of a temper, but fundamentally, she's a good kid," Chu Pengzhan added, chuckling wryly: "I believe someone as outstanding as you will surely get along well with her."

"Get along well?" Lin Yi didn't expect to develop a close relationship with this young miss—it wasn't like they were dating. What use was getting along so well? But verbally, he replied: "I'll try my best."

Chu Pengzhan seemed to notice Lin Yi's perfunctory response and smiled faintly before calling out to the office door: "Uncle Fu, Mengyao is about to finish school. Go pick her up and take Mr. Lin to familiarize himself with the environment."

"Mr. Chu, you can just call me Lin Yi, or Xiaoyi. Calling me 'Mr. Lin' feels strange," Lin Yi said.

"Alright, then I'll call you Xiaoyi. Since I'm older, it won't hurt you. And don't call me Mr. Chu—call me Uncle Chu," Chu Pengzhan nodded, deciding not to dwell on the issue.

Lin Yi nodded and followed Uncle Fu downstairs, taking the elevator all the way to the basement parking lot of the building.